Ghost House (United States, 2017)

August 24, 2017A movie review by James Berardinelli

Ghost House is a
generally well-made but ultimately unsurprising excursion into the
supernatural. Although more interested in psychological terror than a high body
count, the film touches enough of the expected tropes that horror fans will be
kindly disposed toward the end result. Director Rich Ragsdale is adept at
providing creepy images, engineering jump-scares, and making the ghouls look
demonic. Throw in an exotic location (Bangkok, Thailand) and the ingredients
are present for a diverting ghost story. The movie stumbles, however, by
introducing a moral dilemma the consequences of which it’s unwilling to address
and resorting to a generic, nonsensical ending.

Jim (James Landry Hebert) and Julie (Scout Taylor-Compton)
are vacationing in Bangkok – a location they deem to be colorful and romantic
where they can enjoy the sights, where Julie can indulge her passion for
photography, and where Jim can propose marriage. They meet a tour guide named
Gogo (Michael S. New), who offers to show them around. In the process, he tells
them about the secret stories of Thailand and the spirits that inhabit the
so-called “ghost houses.” At their hotel, Jim and Julie meet Robert (Russell
Geoffrey Banks) and Billy (Rich Lee Gray), a couple of British guys who suggest
they spend a night out on the town. After visiting a strip club (not Julie’s
thing), they decide to take a trip to the countryside. By now, it’s clear that
Robert and Billy are up to no good but the nature of their subterfuge isn’t
manifested until they strand Jim and Julie far from civilization just as Julie
becomes a victim to an evil spirit associated with a ghost house she has
accidentally disrespected.

Ragsdale does impressive things with a limited budget – Ghost House looks as good as anything
coming out of Blumhouse. The movie boasts a strong sense of atmosphere, aided
by location shooting in and around Bangkok. The opening sequence – with a girl
being pursued into an alley by a demonic creature –will pique the interest of any
horror fan. However, as good as the filmmakers are at developing the situation, they aren’t able to resolve things in a satisfactory manner. The ending feels more like
a copout than a legitimate means of providing closure.

One aspect of the film worthy of mention is a moral quandary
faced by Jim as Julie’s post-haunting mental condition deteriorates. A shaman
(Mark Boone Junior) informs him that, to save his girlfriend, he has to re-direct
the spirit to another person (as Robert and Billy did with Julie). Jim is faced
with a choice: free Julie by transferring the ghost-demon to a different innocent
victim or allow his fiancée to lose her soul. Instead of following through,
however, Ghost House cheats and
provides us with an “option 3.”

The two leads are capable. Scout Taylor-Compton has already
earned her horror stripes by appearing as Laurie Strode in Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake (as well as the sequel). James Landry Hebert, although not possessing Taylor-Compton’s screen
presence, is strong enough to carry the film when Julie is unconscious. One
possible miscasting is Mark Boone Junior, whose wisecracking Reno belongs in a
different movie.

Ghost House is a
classic “your mileage may vary” film. Horror lovers who are just looking for a
few good scares and a suitably creepy atmosphere will find that Ragsdale
delivers. Those with elevated expectations will discover that Ghost House plays it too safe to be more
than a common denominator ghost story. There are worse things to aspire to but
the laudable aspects of Ghost House
aren’t sufficient to make it noteworthy or memorable.